Nicholas Spinelli

After learning French for a number of years, I first discovered my own enthusiasm for francophone culture while taking a field course on Parisian history at Paris XIII Saint-Denis. Though I had expected to learn strictly about Paris, those weekly classes in the streets of the capital city led to my reviewing the works of artists, playing the music of composers, and reading the books of authors who lived in the neighborhoods I studied. This passion for French art, music and literature led to my earning an M.A. in French, and I currently continuing my studies and research in eighteenth and nineteenth-century literature here at the University of Texas at Austin.

The exchange of thought and information, in capacities of both learning and teaching, continually motivates me in my academic pursuits. Indeed, I truly enjoy tutoring in subjects  I know well, such as music theory, the French language, or economics.

In terms of literary study, I am currently focusing on the 19^th century in France, which heralded the modern age of expression and yielded an inestimable wealth of global, cultural capital in the French arts and letters.

I have played trumpet for twelve years, and, in my spare time, I practice jazz music and seek out live performances of jazz and blues music here in Austin. I am an avid cook with a homegrown specialty in Italian-American food, though I do make a good duck à l’orange. And, predictably, I also have a penchant for reading.